Desperate Measures
by annabel-lee1
Summary: Wyatt gets a Whitelighter, and despair turns to hope.
1. Leo's Suggestion

"You're the bestest little baby in the word, aren't you?" Piper cooed at her son, who smiled up at her, nestled safely in her arms. Now that she was spending less time taking pictures of Wyatt and more time bonding with him, her role as a mother was becoming more natural. She was enjoying her time with him, basking in the peacefulness she felt when she held him.   
  
"Piper! Paige! Sunroom, now!" Phoebe's bellowing cry startled Piper out of her reverie. "Leo!" Her husband orbed in and took the baby from her. "Go," he instructed.   
  
Piper ran down the stairs and into the sunroom, just as Paige arrived in a swirl of blue orbs. Phoebe was kickboxing a demon, who was stabbing at the air with a dagger. "Dagger!" commanded Paige, and it obligingly orbed into her hand. Phoebe kicked the startled demon and backflipped away as Piper exploded him with a flick of her hands.   
  
"Ah, teamwork. Thanks, guys," Phoebe said, fixing her ponytail.   
  
"Who was that? I didn't recognize him," Paige commented.   
  
"Oh, just a garden-variety Aggravator. Low-level demon. They don't usually have daggers, though. But he didn't offer up any information, and they're not smart enough to be subtle. So I'm guessing this one went out on his own to take on the Charmed Ones. You'd think they'd learn," replied Phoebe.   
  
"We're done here? Good, I'm going back to my room to read," Paige announced. "I'm reading up on some social work journals. Gotta stay sharp, you know. Later, guys."   
  
"And I am going back to my baby," Piper chimed in, already halfway up the stairs, as Phoebe headed toward the kitchen for a late-afternoon cup of coffee.   
  
Walking into the bedroom she shared with her husband, Piper held out her hands for the baby. Leo put Wyatt back in her arms, and gestured for her to sit down on the bed. He sat beside her and said, "Honey, I've been thinking...I think that Wyatt should have his own Whitelighter."   
  
"But Leo, the baby can heal himself, he can orb, and he's got you and Paige too. Why would he need another Whitelighter?"   
  
Leo glanced at her, hurt evident in his eyes. "Is that all you think I do?"   
  
"Oh, Leo --"   
  
"We're not just healers and magical chauffeurs! Whitelighters are spiritual guardians. We guide good witches. Wyatt is incredibly powerful, and he needs someone to guard and guide him, to help him discover how best to use his talents. What if you three are out demon-fighting and Wyatt's under attack at home? He needs a guardian who can always give him undivided attention -- he's important and powerful enough to warrant a Whitelighter with no other charges. And as he's growing up, don't you think he'll want someone to talk to about magic -- someone who doesn't live in this house?"   
  
"Leo, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, okay? I know you do a lot more than heal and orb. But when did you come up with this idea?" Piper glanced at her husband, who had risen from the bed in mid-rant to pace around the bedroom.   
  
"Well, actually...'They' thought of it --"   
  
"Leo!"   
  
"-- but Piper, I agree with them! I think they're right. They ARE right sometimes, you know."   
  
Piper sighed. "Alright. Has someone already been assigned?"   
  
Leo smiled. "Yes. It was the Elders' suggestion, and I think you'll approve." His expression changed. "They're calling me. I'll see you later, okay?" He kissed Wyatt, then Piper, and orbed out.   
  
Piper wondered at Leo's comment that she would approve of the Elders' choice of Whitelighter, and suddenly her heart skipped a beat. He couldn't mean -- he couldn't possibly mean -- it had to be...   
  
"Um, guys?" Phoebe's voice again cut off Piper's mental wanderings. "I think we have an innocent." 


	2. Visions and Violence

The sisters convened in the kitchen. "I was reading the paper," Phoebe began explaining.   
  
"Checking out your byline again?" Paige smirked.   
  
"Okay, could we just focus here?" Phoebe grimaced. "I was reading an editorial, turned the page, and got a premonition from an obituary."   
  
"From an obituary?" asked Piper. "We can't save the dead." But they can save us, she thought silently.   
  
"Thanks, I hadn't noticed," Phoebe answered dryly. "I think the obituary I was touching was the one for a guy named Tyler Buckman, who was shot while trying to stop a mugging. And the mugger got away -- the woman he was trying to attack was a young mother with a little girl, and he came up from behind, so they never saw his face. But the mugger shot the guy, and then he got the woman's money anyway. And the guy, Tyler, he had just proposed to his girlfriend Laurel a week ago, and he had just picked up the ring from being sized at the jewelry store."   
  
Piper murmured, "How awful."  
  
"All that's in the obituary? Or in your premonition?" inquired Paige.   
  
"Neither. It was in the editorial I was reading," Phoebe clarified. "It said that the world was pretty hopeless if a Good Samaritan could die like that, for nothing. Anyway, in the premonition I saw a woman standing on top of a building, and a demon behind her, kind of shadowy, a little like the Woogie Man but a bit more of a SOLID smoky thing, you know? Anyway, I don't think she saw him, but it looked like he was gesturing toward her head, and then she..." Phoebe swallowed. "And then she jumped."   
  
Her sisters were momentarily startled into silence. Paige broke it first, asking, "So are we saving her from a demon or from suicide?"   
  
"Maybe both," said Piper thoughtfully. "Remember that Darklighter who tried to kill future Whitelighters? Maybe this is something like that."   
  
Paige shuddered. "Okay then. Let's check the book, shall we?"   
  
* * *   
  
"Got 'im," Phoebe exclaimed. "'Anelpistos, the demons of despair.' It says that this demon was vanquished, but then time was subsequently reset to before he was vanquished not once but TWICE, and now there are two of him. Them. Whatever."   
  
"Double your fun...so what's the vanquish?" Paige peered over her sister's shoulder to see the book. Phoebe pointed to the spell. "Power of Three? Guess he's pretty powerful. If we vanquish one, will the other be vanquished, too?"   
  
"Good question," said Piper. "L--" She was interrupted by a swirl of orbs. "--eo? Impressive."   
  
"There's trouble, and you've got to help fix it," Leo said, looking worried. "What did you need?"   
  
"You first," Piper answered.   
  
"There's a demon who's destroying Hope. He's killing her, she's dying, and the world can't survive without her," Leo began.   
  
"Hope who?" asked Phoebe.   
  
"Hope. Incarnate. The essence of hope lives in a woman; she offers hope in times of despair, keeps mankind going with the promise of tomorrow. She's a little like Cupid -- she slips in between thoughts, instead of heartbeats. So this demon has got to be stopped. His name is Anelpistos. He's the demon of --"  
  
"Despair. We know. He's after our innocent," Phoebe cut in. 


	3. Pushing the Power, and an Introduction

Leo looked startled. "Who's your innocent?"  
  
"A woman, about our age. It looked like he was driving her to commit suicide. I got a premonition from the paper."  
  
"That doesn't make sense. Hope can't commit suicide -- it's impossible. She can be injured or killed, but not by her own hand. And she's older than you."  
  
"So maybe our Anelpistos has nothing to do with yours," suggested Piper.  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Leo, stupefied.  
  
"There are two of them," Paige explained. "Long story short, there were a couple of time resets to just before he was vanquished. That's why we were about to call you. Do you think if we vanquish one of them, the other will be gone too?"  
  
"I don't know, Paige. It MIGHT work, but with Evil, it's best not to assume anything. Phoebe, do you know when and where your premonition is going to happen?"  
  
"On top of an apartment building, it looked like it was in the Richmond, but I don't know where. And it was dark out, so we should have a little while at least," Phoebe answered.  
  
"You're sure you don't have any other details that might help narrow down where it was?" Leo pressed.  
  
"I don't know. I don't think so. Hey, wait...I could try..." Phoebe closed her eyes, and suddenly gave the gasp and shiver they'd come to associate with her premonitions. After a moment, she opened her eyes, looking stunned. "4425 Balboa Street."  
  
"What did you just do?" Paige asked incredulously.  
  
"I called up the premonition. And since I knew what was going to happen, I could focus on the other details more. And I could slow it down to get a good look at the building, til I found the number. I don't know why I never thought of that before."  
  
"Good," said Leo. "The Elders want me to bring Hope here, they say she's safest here with you, since you're the ones who can vanquish Anelpistos. You've got to stop him -- the world can't live without Hope."  
  
"What would happen, if..." Paige asked.  
  
Leo shook his head. "If there were no hope, humanity would just break down. People wouldn't be able to cope with anything. Everything would just be hopeless, literally."  
  
"Like the editorial said," Paige remembered. "Phoebe, didn't you say it was talking about how hopeless the world was?" Phoebe nodded in assent.  
  
"But honey, if she's dying, can't you heal her?" Piper asked.  
  
"I can't," Leo answered sadly. "Her body is mortal, and I could heal that, but her essence is what's dying, and it's pure magic. I can't heal magic."  
  
"Alright, so bring her here, hopefully that'll lure the demon, we'll do the Power of Three thing, head over to Balboa, do the Power of Three thing again, and be done in time for dinner," Piper declared.  
  
Leo held up a hand. "But first...Wyatt's Whitelighter is ready to meet him."  
  
Phoebe gaped. "Wyatt's Whitelighter? The kid can orb and heal himself. What's he need a Whitelighter for?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, spiritual guidance, maybe?" Piper retorted. "Whitelighters guide good witches, remember?" As Phoebe looked down, chastened, Piper winked at her husband.  
  
Leo glanced up toward the ceiling. "Okay," he called out. As the glowing orbs appeared and circled each other, Piper smiled inwardly, already picturing her favorite protector in the world, the long, dark hair and mischievous blue eyes that she wouldn't let fade in her memory. As she waited expectantly, the blue lights coalesced into --  
  
"Andy? Andy!" Phoebe yelped, as the Whitelighter hugged her.  
  
Piper stared, uncomprehending. "No," she whispered, staring in shock, as her heart broke again. "No!" she repeated, louder this time, as she turned and ran from the room, unable to choke back her sobs.  
  
Paige turned, watching in surprise and concern. "What was that all about?"  
  
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Leo responded, orbing away after Piper.  
  
"And who's Andy?" Paige continued.  
  
"He and Prue were -- they were really close growing up, and then again when we all moved back here after Grams died."  
  
"So why'd you make Piper cry?" Paige demanded. "Did you hurt Prue?"  
  
"No!" Andy protested. "Well, yes, actually, I guess I did. I loved her...but when she told me she was a witch, I -- I didn't know how to react. And I told her I wanted a normal life. And then a demon killed me, and here I am a Whitelighter, so...so much for normal."  
  
"Yeah, tell me about it. That still doesn't explain why Piper's so upset, though." 


	4. Desperation and Acceptance

Leo tried to hold his wife, but she kept pushing him away. "Andy? ANDY?" she wailed. "It was supposed to be Prue! Prue's the one who should be protecting my son, and guiding him on his way! Not Andy! Prue! It was supposed to be Prue!"  
  
Leo knelt beside the bed, beseeching her with his eyes. "Sweetie, I had no idea that's what you were expecting. Prue isn't a Whitelighter. She was a good witch, and she'll probably be reincarnated into a future good witch, if she hasn't already, just like all four of you had past lives. But she couldn't be a Whitelighter, honey, you know that."  
  
"I know!" Piper cried. "I know, but I HATE IT!"  
  
"I know you do," Leo said, and Piper looked at him in surprise. "But that doesn't change things. And you can't hold it against Andy. He's going to be a really good Whitelighter. Because of the Prophecy, the Elders knew that Wyatt would be born. Andy's been in intense training all along for this very role. He is just what Wyatt needs. You can't hold it against him that he isn't Prue. Please, honey."  
  
Still sniffling, Piper reached for a tissue and dried her eyes. "I should apologize to him," she said ruefully. "I didn't exactly give him a warm welcome."  
  
"He understands," said a male voice from the doorway.  
  
Piper jumped. "Andy! Oh. I'm -- sorry -- I was hoping -- I'm sorry."  
  
"It's alright, Piper. I know I'm not your first choice, but I'm hoping I'll be a good second-best."  
  
"Oh, Andy. Thank you for -- everything." He wrapped her in a strong hug, and for a moment she wondered how different her life would have been had this man been her brother-in-law. She cut off the thought almost immediately, reminding herself that Andy was here to protect her baby.  
  
As if reading her thoughts, Leo lifted the baby from the bassinet and handed him to Piper. "Andy," Piper said with the smile in her voice that only came from holding her son, "this is Wyatt." Andy let the baby grasp his finger, and smiled down at him. "Would you like to hold him?"  
  
Andy gingerly received the small bundle. "Hiya, kiddo."  
  
Piper smiled, new tears forming in her eyes. Leo gently put his arm around her. "We've got to help Hope now. Let's let them get acquainted." He steered her out of the room and back to the attic.  
  
* * *  
  
Leo orbed out and returned momentarily with an older woman who was obviously in great agony. She put on a brave face, though, and said brightly in a voice that had once been strong, "The Charmed Ones. My dears, it's so good to meet you. You make my work a lot easier, you know. If anyone can do this, and save me, it's you."  
  
"I sure hope so," muttered Paige.  
  
"Exactly," answered Hope, with a knowing smile.  
  
"So what now," Phoebe asked, "we wait here until Anelpistos shows up? It's going to be dark soon, and we still have to save our innocent."  
  
"Then we'll split up," Piper decided. "You and Paige will orb over to Balboa Street, and Leo and I will stay here with Hope."  
  
"But what good will that do?" Phoebe complained. "We need the Power of Three for the vanquish. And none of us can astral project, so splitting up won't work. But if we stay together, we'll only be able to vanquish one of them. It's hopeless."  
  
Piper glanced at Hope, who nodded, with a faint smile that deepened as Piper spoke. "It's not hopeless. Paige can orb. When you find our innocent, bring her here. Your Anelpistos will follow, I'm sure, and by then Hope's Anelpistos should be here too, and we'll vanquish them in one fell swoop. We can do this."  
  
Phoebe seemed to draw strength from her sister's words and conviction. "Alright, if you say so, we can."  
  
"I do say so. Now, go." 


	5. Hope Lost

Paige and Phoebe held hands, and Paige orbed them to the roof of the apartment from Phoebe's vision. In front of them, close to the edge, they could see the young woman Phoebe had described, and a dark shadow behind her.  
  
"Don't startle her," Paige cautioned. She coughed, alerting the woman to her presence, then gently spoke, walking slowly toward her. "Hi there. My name's Paige. I'm here to help you, if you'll let me."  
  
"How can you help? Nobody can help," the woman said bitterly. "HE was just trying to help, and he died. He was all I had in the world, and he DIED."  
  
"You're Laurel, his fiancee, aren't you," Paige realized. "Oh, that's awful. I am so, so sorry."  
  
Laurel snorted. "You're sorry? Lot of good that does me."  
  
The shadow behind her had been deepening, thickening, and now it almost seemed to be surrounding the woman, blocking her from Paige. She could see Laurel nodding, agreeing. Only a few words drifted for Paige and Phoebe to hear: "desperate...pain...it's hopeless."  
  
"No, it isn't hopeless," Phoebe said, having followed Paige's lead. They were now less than ten feet from the edge of the roof where Laurel stood. "He was a good man, and he died trying to do a good thing. Don't you want to honor his memory?"  
  
"No," Laurel cried. "I just want it to stop hurting!" She shut her eyes, let one foot dangle over the ledge, as a malevolent hint of laughter came from the shadowy Anelpistos.  
  
Paige held out her hands and said sharply, "Laurel!" Orbing the woman to her, Paige was nearly toppled by Laurel, but Phoebe supported them both until they regained their footing. Laurel looked stunned, as the form of Anelpistos raged and swirled to them. "We're outta here," Paige said, as she orbed the three of them back to the manor.  
  
"Wha-" Laurel glanced around the conservatory in confusion.  
  
"We're good witches," Paige explained hurriedly. "We're here to help you, to protect you. Things aren't hopeless, I promise. You have to give yourself time to adjust, I know it's hard, it's so hard when you lose someone you love. But Laurel, sweetie, it will get easier. Tyler wouldn't want you to give up. He'd want you to grieve and then go on, embrace your life, all the possibilities that you still have."  
  
"Did -- did you know Tyler?" Laurel asked hesitantly.  
  
"No," Phoebe answered. "We just read about him in the paper."  
  
"So you don't know him, and you don't know me, but you still wanted to...to save me?"  
  
"Yes," Phoebe answered simply.  
  
Laurel stared a moment, then slumped backward as her eyes rolled up into her head. Paige caught her and sat her gently down on the couch. Anelpistos smeared in behind Laurel. "No, you don't," warned Phoebe. "You can't have her. We've given her hope. She won't give into despair, and neither will we.  
  
"Phoebe! Paige!" At the sound of Piper's terror-stricken voice, the sisters grabbed hands and orbed to the attic. A second Anelpistos was there, surrounding Hope, and the first smeared up into the attic as well. They were invading her, choking her, and the sisters could feel the despair the demons radiated. Their movements slowed, dulled by an overwhelming hopelessness. Hope's eyes lost their brightness as she watched the sisters succumb. 


	6. Hope Regained

"We can't," Paige tried to explain, catching Hope's eye. "We --"  
  
Wyatt's laughter suddenly echoed in the attic, through the baby monitor. Hearing it, Piper broke out of the trance-like state she'd fallen into and turned to her sisters. "We can. We will. We have to. Come on!"  
  
Grabbing Paige and Phoebe by the arm, she dragged them toward the Book of Shadows, still open to the page on Anelpistos. Together, they recited the vanquishing spell:  
  
Desperation, hear my cry  
Faith exceeds your strength, and how.  
Your hold weakens, by and by,  
Hope springs eternal, even now.  
  
The shadows writhed in agony, twisting faster and faster until bursting into a flame that dissolved into the attic floor. The sisters rushed toward Hope.  
  
"She's dying." As one, the sisters turned toward the voice. Laurel stood in the doorway, tears in her eyes. "You did all that, and she's dying."  
  
Piper looked at her sisters, bemused. "Who--?"  
  
"Laurel. Our innocent. The Good Samaritan's fiancee," Paige and Phoebe whispered in a rush.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"No, my dear," Hope struggled to say, "only my body is dying." Their eyes met, and Hope nodded. Laurel walked toward her.  
  
"What's the point? You try to save someone, and you get shot, and they get mugged anyway. And you're gonna die, too. Why bother? Why shouldn't I give up?" Laurel wept as she spoke.  
  
"Because it will be better. It will. YOU will. You know that in your heart, don't you?" The old woman smiled at the younger one.  
  
Laurel's eyes widened. She held out her hands, taking Hope's hands in hers. Both women closed their eyes, and a change came over Laurel's face, like the dawning of a new day. "You know it. You'll see," came Hope's voice in a whisper, as the Charmed Ones watched, transfixed.  
  
"I see," breathed Laurel, opening her eyes, and a faint smile tinged her features. As Laurel released her hands, the old woman's body swayed slightly and fell back against the chair, and disappeared in a twinkle of lights.  
  
Leo burst into the room. "Where's he been?" asked Paige.  
  
"Left to check on Wyatt when we heard you guys get here, in case Anelpistos tried to go after the baby instead of Laurel," Piper answered. "Guess he's not quite used to having another Whitelighter around, either."  
  
But Leo hardly seemed to notice Piper or her sisters. He stared at Laurel. "Hope," he whispered.  
  
"Yes," she smiled. "Thank you for brining me here so I could be saved." Her gaze fell on the Charmed Ones. "I hope you won't see me again, but I will be with you. Thank you for giving me hope. This is what Tyler would have wanted, and even if I can't share it with him, I can share it with the rest of the world."  
  
The sisters stood up. "So you're Hope now?" Paige asked.  
  
"Yes," Laurel answered. "Hope lives in me. Thanks to you."  
  
Paige, Piper, and Phoebe held hands. "Glad we could help," Paige said.  
  
"Me, too," Laurel agreed. "Have faith...always." She shimmered in a beam of light, and vanished, leaving three sisters suddenly feeling very hopeful.  
  
T H E E N D 


End file.
